"WASHINGTON - As oil and gas majors increasingly tout their green credentials, climate change activists who say such claims are misleading are pursuing a new avenue to hold companies to account.
While several U.S. states and cities have filed lawsuits against fossil fuel firms over "greenwashing" in recent years, three environmental groups took a different tack in March when they launched a landmark complaint against Chevron Corp.
Rather than going through the courts, the green groups - Global Witness, Greenpeace and Earthworks - filed a false advertising complaint against Chevron with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which enforces rules against deceptive ads.
The three organizations are hopeful that their complaint to the national agency under the new Biden administration will gain more traction than a lawsuit filed in a federal or state court, and lay down a marker for further action against "greenwashing"."
David Sherfinski reports for Thomson Reuters Foundation June 23, 2021.
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